Page 11 of Unfix Me

“Something like that.”

I dragged my teeth over my lower lip, then nodded. “Cool. No big deal. Just thought I’d offer.”

With a tight-lipped smile, he took a step back. I watched him but didn’t say anything else. After a moment, he lifted his fingers off the strap of his backpack in a half-hearted wave, then turned around. Just as he was about to exit the building, he glanced back at me. As quickly as it happened, he was out the door.

Why was I so curious about him? There was something inside of him that seemed complicated. I had a bad habit of going into ‘I can fix him mode’ but this was different. It was a feeling I had when I’d met West and because of it, I found out what was going on with him at home. I was there to help him through it and offer him a place to stay when he needed it. Maybe my intuition was telling me that Sen needed a friend, someone in his corner.

Before I left home, my therapist said I should try to avoid taking on the responsibilities of others. I didn’t know if that was what I was doing here, but I’d think it over.

*****

“How many have you had?” Brooks asked. His eyes were wide as he looked back and forth between me and West.

“This is my fourth,” I replied around a mouthful. “West?”

“Five, I think. I could go for a few more.”

Brooks shook his head. “Jesus.”

As he took a drink of his milkshake, I shoved the last bite of the burger into my mouth. Brooks was one of the people West met yesterday on his tour. He didn’t even need to go to that, but he’d find any excuse to get out of the dorm and socialize. He’d come back with two new friends and he’d looked ecstatic about it. He was like someone going out to collect wayward Pokémon. I didn’t know how he kept up with all the people he talked to.

“I’ve seen West eat an entire Costco pizza in one sitting,” I said. “I think he followed it up with an ice cream.”

“Damn right, I did. I’d get so hungry in sixth period that Kai’s mom started packing snacks for him to give me.”

“Which you generally threw up on the field afterward.”

“It helped me keep my girlish figure.”

“Not even a week into college and you’re already pulling out the dad jokes.”

He choked on his soda, nearly spewing it across the table. Brooks was still watching us with amusement. He seemed so controlled and I wondered what it would take for him to loosen up a little. From the little he’d said, I knew that he was a pre-law student and he had pretty strict parents. He also had his own apartment down the street, but he didn’t strike me as someone who was snooty about having money. So far, I liked him.

“How long did it take you to grow?” I nodded toward his hair, which was wrapped up in a neat bun. From the size of it, you could tell that it was long.

He blew out a raspberry. “Years. I haven’t cut it since I was ten.”

“His parents are gonna make him chop it off,” West said, dropping his hand on the table loudly.

“Why?”

“Professionalism,” Brooks replied. West emphasized for him with air quotes.

I considered the notion while I dipped a fry in my milkshake. “So, because of some made-up standard that kills creativity and breeds monotony.”

West snapped his fingers and pointed at me. “That’s what he should say to his parents.”

“It’s fine.” Brooks’ tone was dismissive.

“Does it have significance to you?” I asked.

For a moment, he was silent, then he nodded. “My grandparents wereMaori. They moved here from New Zealand. In their culture, it was sort of sacred, and long hair was respected. To cut it was almost an insult.”

“That’s cool,” West remarked. “How could they argue?”

“It’s not like I keep that history alive or anything. It just started out as a way to remind myself of them after they passed. I like it.”

“So, don’t.” When he looked at me, I shrugged. “Get through school, graduate, then just don’t cut it. What are they gonna do? If a firm hires you with your long hair, they can’t really say shit.”

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